Hughes Public Relations, Adelaide

Crowne Plaza Adelaide


The situation. In 2010, Crowne Plaza Adelaide was the first newly built, internationally branded hotel to open its doors in South Australia in more than 20 years. Hughes Public Relations worked with the hotel to implement a communications program to raise awareness and generate excitement about its opening. One of the elements of the campaign was an innovative Twitter competition.

Objectives. Crowne Plaza Adelaide’s objective was to position itself as the leading, upscale hotel in Adelaide. It also sought to drive awareness of the hotel’s accommodation and food and beverage offerings among key markets including Adelaide, regional South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

Elements. Hughes PR developed and implemented a communications calendar of activity in the lead-up to the launch of Crowne Plaza Adelaide, executing a program including hosting hard-hat pre-event media tours and exclusive tours with key “influencers”, including members of the tourism industry.

Media releases and images were distributed to long-lead publications, and stories pitched to magazines, newspapers and travel websites.

Crowne Plaza Adelaide established a presence on Facebook and Twitter, and Hughes PR assisted the hotel to manage a Twitter-based competition called “Tweet Yourself to a Night at the Crowne Plaza’ to generate interest and attract more “followers” to the hotel. 

Hughes PR facilitated meetings with key industry organisations such as the South Australian Tourism Commission and South Australian Tourism Industry Council. Contact was made with key Tourism Australia representatives in the lead-up to the Australian Tourism Exchange, to be held in Adelaide in 2010.

We developed a bank of editorial and news stories including restaurant reviews, travel editorial, business stories and industry editorial aimed at the travel and conference sectors. A list of key opinion leaders and stakeholders for regular briefings was also created.

Outcome.  One of the key objectives of the Crowne Plaza Adelaide was to receive positive media coverage in the weeks leading up to its April 2010 opening in order to generate interest. Results included:

• Opening day news reports on TV channels 7, 9 and 10;
• Live Channel 10 TV weather cross from the hotel the week prior to the opening;
• A profile of Red Salt Restaurant’s new chef profile in News Ltd ‘Taste’ publication;
• ‘Appointments’ announcements in newspaper business sections;
• ‘Hotel opening’ coverage in travel media;
• ‘Hotel opening’ coverage in major regional South Australian newspapers;
• More than 670 Facebook ‘fans’ and a high level of positive interaction on the hotel’s Facebook page, and more than 360 Twitter followers.

In its first week of opening, the hotel had achieved:

• Capacity bookings in its first two weeks following its opening, with strong bookings also received in advance for April and May, 2010 with many guests saying they had decided to stay at the Hotel due to seeing stories about it in the media;
• Four confirmed weddings for future dates without the bride-to-be having seen the conference facility;
• High level of traffic and activity in RedSalt Restaurant and Bar in the first three weeks of opening.